BBC Honors Prunella Scales with Special Tribute
The BBC has announced a change to its television schedule following the passing of legendary actress Prunella Scales at the age of 93. Scales, known for her iconic role as Sybil Fawlty in the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers, will be honored with a special tribute tonight as the channel airs an episode of the show. The tribute comes as a testament to Scales' enduring legacy and the enduring popularity of Fawlty Towers, which won the BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy in 1976 and marked 50 years on screens this year.
Key Takeaways:
- The BBC will air an episode of Fawlty Towers tonight at 8pm as a tribute to Prunella Scales following her death.
- The episode, titled "The Builders," originally aired on September 26, 1975, and features Scales and John Cleese as the characters Basil and Sybil Fawlty.
- Scales played the role of Sybil Fawlty for the entire run of the show, appearing in all 12 episodes of both series from 1975 to 1979.
- Fawlty Towers won the BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy in 1976, and this year marked 50 years since the show first appeared on screens.
- Scales' sons, Samuel and Joseph West, have issued a statement thanking those who cared for their mother at the end of her life, saying her final days were "comfortable, contented, and surrounded by love."
- Scales was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years, and is survived by two sons, one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Statistics:
- Prunella Scales was 93 years old at the time of her death.
- Fawlty Towers first appeared on screens 50 years this year.
- The show won the BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy in 1976.
- Scales played the role of Sybil Fawlty for four years, from 1975 to 1979.
- The episode being aired tonight, "The Builders," was originally broadcast on September 26, 1975.
Sources:
- BBC One, citing PA News agency
- Samuel and Joseph West, sons of Prunella Scales
- PA News agency
- Liverpool ECHO, citing BBC One
- Mirror.co.uk, citing PA Wire